cordeliaknits

Show is Up!

Here's the final Nest quilt.  I added some beaded accents, and tabs to hang it from a cool branch.  Many people admired it, and it's my current favorite--although, usually it's my latest quilt that is my favorite, so that's not surprising.

The show opening went well, a few people are interested in making purchases, though the details have not been worked out yet. 

Although it would be lovely to charge $500 per quilt, an Snorri suggested in his comment, I'm thinking that's a little steep at this point in my career, so I think a range of $150-$300, based on size and complexity is what I'll go for.

Tonight Celeste is staying over, because of the crazy bridge situation, and our friend Laura stopped by with her guitar for an old-fashioned impromptu seminary sing-along!

After several folk songs--Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman, Mindy Smith--and some Gospel, we ended with a rousing improv, "Seminary Blues."  When it finally ended (after several verses), a rousing cheer went up from all around the building, since our windows into the courtyard were wide open!

Needless to say, we laughed so hard Gayle almost had an accident.

Saturday update

OK, as requested, here are some B-Day party pictures.  First, it's me and Carolyn.

My Middler was on Wednesday (that's the crazy stressful interrogation about my theological and vocational development thus far in Seminary that I told you about a few weeks ago), and it was OK. 

I think it probably went really well, but I have just been obsessing about a few things that were said near the end that I wasn't happy with, rather than thinking about all the good things they said about me.  Oh well.  At least it's over over over!

I'm about to head over to church to set up my show, which opens tomorrow!  I will have eight quilts in it, and I was thinking of adding some knitting, but I think it will be too hard to display (a long lace scarf--too hard to display it on a wall in a way that would show off the lace). 

I haven't decided yet whether to put some of the quilts up for sale.

Some of them are spoken for, and others are mine and just not for sale.  But a few of my newer quilts could be sold, if I wanted to sell them, and if I could decide how much to ask.  Is it weird to have 8 pieces and only 3 for sale? 

I guess I'll just decide when we're going over the titles for the cards (what do you call those things that have the title of the artwork on them? my mind is blank.  perhaps it's just "title cards"  hmm...)

Here's DonnaLynda, Lisa and Courtney.

I have a great picture of everyone together in the parking lot, taken by a friendly Russian man we accosted, but I'm not sure of some people (hi C+C) want their pictures up, so I'll have to wait to hear from them before I show you the rest!

beaded eggs

OK, I promise a real post later today, but for now, check out the beaded eggs in my nest!

NEST

After church today I decided to start a new quilt, recklessly ignoring the homework that will be due this week.

SO, what do you get when you add this

to this?

well, this of course!

It's not done yet, I still have to do the stitching and I'm thinking of adding a poem to the upper right-hand corner.

Then there's the question of dangly things hanging off the bottom--it's an option I'm considering.  I'll keep you informed as it develops.

We had my (belated) birthday party tonight!  We had ten people and we went to one of our favorite Mexican Restaurants.  I'll share photos soon, bit for now I'll just say that I got some great presents!

grumpy knitters

I love this detail of a painting that has been hanging at church for the past month!  The knitter on the left looks so grumpy, and I love the way the artist depicted the balls of yarn.

This painting was part of  a show of work from the Zimbabwe Artists Project, a non-profit group that helps women in Zimbabwe become self-sufficient.

They do wonderful applique wall quilts and paintings, and most of them have a narrative.  I look at these knitters throughout the meetings that I attend, and they always make me happy.

It's Saturday, and I have no ambition left to do anything academic.  I think it's time to do laundry and play with yarn, so that I don't become a grumpy knitter too.

just works in progress

I decided to take tonight off--no paper writing for a few hours!  SO, I watched some Gilmore Girls, did some knitting and some reading, and now...I am about to go to bed early, if you can believe it!

I'm having a little art show at church, opening at the end of the month.  It'll be mostly art quilts, and I'm a little worried that I don't have enough to put up.  So much of what I make gets given away to friends and family, and is now across the country, and even in other countries!

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I hope to have some time this weekend to work on at least one more quilt.  I have one I've been working on, experimenting with acrylic paint and stamps on fabric (see swatch above).  I'm not sure how it will turn out when it's sewn together in a quilt, but we'll see.

I'm very inspired by my buddy Celeste's pictures from ArtFest, and I think I need to do some more journaling and collage--it's been too long.  Also, you should check out her amazing silver granny squares!  They are selling like hotcakes on her Etsy site.  (Looks like they're currently sold out, but I bet there'll be more soon.)  She rocks!

prayers

Please join me in praying for the Virginia Tech community on this tragic day.  I can't imagine the grief, shock and fear that they are feeling tonight.

Send a thought, a prayer, a ball of light, whatever works for you. 

They really need all the love we can send.

Lord Have Mercy.

 

Flora

I don't think I've showed you this FO yet, as I have been pretty lax about blogging my knitting projects, in favor of German buildings and girls.

Here is Flora from Knitty (Fall '05).  I knit her in a yummy silk/alpaca/merino blend called Terra made by the Fibre Co. in Maine.  They don't seem to have a website, but if you want to see more of this yarn, they have it at Purl.

I used a cool green vintage-look button I found at my favorite fabric store, Stonemountain and Daughter, and it took about a skein and a half of the yarn (~150 yards).

I was hoping this would be a one-skein wonder project, but the flower took more yarn than I had anticipated.  If the yarn you use comes in a slightly bigger skein, you'd be totally fine with one.

This was a quick knit, probably took me two evenings of Law and Order to make, and it looks pretty cool, don'tcha think?

I think if I did it again, I would make the flower a different color, or at least the twisted loops (meant to be stamens, perhaps?), because it doesn't stand out very well.  I also need to take the button off and reposition it, because it's too loose on my neck.  Otherwise, I would definitely recommend this pattern, as it is quick and easy and oh so cute.

In school news, I am working on yet another paper.  Yes, it is 10:37pm and I only have a page (out of 6-8) written, and it's due in the morning.  I am so sick of writing papers!  I can't wait for summer vacation.  All I wanna do is knit and watch TV, and maybe have a barbecue once in a while.

OK, enough whining, time to crank out the paper.  At least I've already read the book!

done!

yay!  I finally finished my big paper and the packet of stuff that had to go with it, and they are almost all distributed to the panel of inquisitors reviewers!

Now, in about two weeks, we'll meet for a few hours and they will judge talk to me about my theology and vocation.

and then it will finally be over!

This is another picture from Ludwigsburg Castle, the mirror room.  Me and Eva.

Did I tell you?  Lisa installed Skype for me, and it's so cool!  I can chat with people as well as actually talk to them if they also have Skype.  Do you have it?  It's free for the basics, and you can search for me as cordeliaknits if you want to chat.  (especially if you live in London or Massachusetts or somewhere like that.  just sayin'...)

I've already been able to chat with Eva and Jasmin several times!

Yoko/Joko

Meet Yoko Joko, the monkey.  (edited to fix spelling--who knew Germans spelled Yoko with a 'J' ?)

Yoko Joko is Eva's sister Anke's monkey, who has traveled all over the world in the past 20 years or so.

When Yoko Joko saw the hat I made for Jasmin, he was quite jealous, and decided he needed one too.  Being a monkey, of course he needed a pompom on his version, but otherwise the hats are the same.

Yoko Joko thought the hat went quite well with his hand-knit socks.  Now he is dreaming about a fair-isle vest.